


I was hopeless (hopeless), I was helpless (helpless)

by Two_Player_Gayme (FireMorning)



Series: Red [1]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Bullying, F slur, Gen, Homophobia, M/M, Pre-squip rich, a fic in which i reveal my hc for rich's older brother, slight suicidal thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 05:10:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11525220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireMorning/pseuds/Two_Player_Gayme
Summary: Rich felt like he'd been in high school forever, and it was still the first semester of Freshman year. With the only person who cares about him halfway across the world, the rest of school seemed like an endless hike over Mt. Shit. When offered a chance to change his fate, who is he to say no?





	I was hopeless (hopeless), I was helpless (helpless)

Rich couldn’t decide what was more red. The stinging palms of his hands, the folders from his spilled backpack that were now splayed across the hallway in front of him, or his blushing face. He had been in high school for nearly a semester, but he always managed to get caught on the dumb half step on his way to third period. So far he was on a two day streak, but since it was Friday, he wouldn’t get another hat trick of scraping up his palms. 

His falling streak wasn’t exactly helped by his peers. 

Behind him, a small pack of juniors laughed at his fall, as they always do. One of them gave him one more little shove and two others stepped on his folders as they moved on, and he stayed huddled against the wall until the hall was clear and quiet. Only then did he retrieve his trampled folders. Everything still seemed to be about in the same condition they were before, and he could only think that he was lucky that none of his papers spilled out of the folders like they did last time. He had lost three different pieces of homework to trampling that day, and none of his teachers were especially forgiving. 

Speaking of his teachers, he was already three minutes past the last bell. Mr. Hardy was a kind man, but he didn’t tolerate any breaking of the rules in his classroom. Rich was pretty sure he’d been teaching since you could rap students with a ruler if they got out of line, but the man knew his history. A running joke started by the man himself that that it was because he’s old enough to remember it. He didn’t feel like testing his good standing with Mr. Hardy by being anymore late, so he opted to not run his stinging hands under the water in the bathroom and rush to his class instead. 

* * *

By far, the last class of the day was Rich’s favorite. The hallway where all the math classrooms were housed was underground a level, creating a soothing darkness, only fended off by the buzzing fluorescent lights that calmed him. Further, he never ran into any trouble on his way there. His class before was right next to the stairs, and he sat right by the door. The instant the bell rang he would slip around the corner and run down the stairs as fast as he could get away with, and then wait five seconds to take his place by the teacher’s desk in the class.

Most people said that Ms. Winters was, well, a frigid bitch. If Mr. Hardy didn’t put up with any nonsense in his class, Ms. Winters ran her’s like an army base. Any troublemakers were sent out into the hallway to wait until the lesson is done, and after a few turns of being in the dull, quiet hallway, people would learn to follow the few simple rules. No talking out of turn, no joking answers, and one must work hard to pass in her class. She lost quite a few points with other students by having a requirement that you turn your phone into a bucket on her desk before class starts. 

That never bothered Rich though. It’s not like he had anyone to text.

In fact, he loved Ms. Winters. She was quite fond of him as well. Beyond the fact that he was one of her brightest students, she took a liking to the jumpy freshman. Maybe it was the fact he almost sprinted into her class every day, or the way she could trust him to run little errands for her during class. Rich didn’t know what she saw in him to make her act so fondly, but the woman’s tender attitude towards him was one of the only bright spots he could see in his otherwise dull life.

Once he had dropped his phone into the bucket and gotten his things out for notes, Ms. Winters looked up from the test she was grading and greeted him. 

“Good afternoon, Richard.” She had a unique habit of referring to him by his full first name, even though practically everyone called him Rich. It almost felt like a nickname at this point, or an inside joke. “How are you today?” 

Rich smoothed out the piece of paper he took from his bag before turning in his seat to face her. 

“I’m good, mostly. As good as ever.” He shrugged, then smiled. “How are you? Fourth period still giving you trouble?” He questioned with an inquisitive cock to his head. 

The older woman laughed, shaking her head fondly and marking something at the top of the paper in front of her. 

 

“As much as ever.” She echoed his words back to him before handing him the paper. His test from the day before. No matter how many times he got a good grade back, for some reason seeing 105 on the top next to his name in Ms. Winters’ blue pen ink gave him a warm feeling in his chest. “Excellent job, Richard. That was a challenging unit.” She gave the quiet room two beats of silence before continuing. “Richard, you know that the school has a rather prestigious quiz bowl team that competes in the spring, don’t you?” 

It was a courtesy question. Everyone knew about the quiz bowl team. Well...maybe not everyone, but most people had some knowledge of it. There were trophies in the hallways, lots of them. Only a select few students got chosen to be on it, the ones with the high GPAs and extracurriculars and a cornucopia of friends. Not to mention, usually only juniors and seniors were invited on. It wasn’t unheard of for a freshman to be invited, but rare. 

“O-of course, yeah. I mean, yes ma’am.” He could feel his cheeks heading up. He hated blushing with such ease. There wasn’t even anything to be flustered over! He resisted the overwhelming urge to look down at his hands rather than at his teacher. 

“Good. I’m in charge of the math portion of the team, and I believe you would be a strong asset. It would require dedication, and extra work. As well as quite a few after school practices. But I assure you, the effort will be worth it.” She smiled. “So, Richard. Would you like to join the quiz bowl team?”

Rich was pretty sure he was going to give himself whiplash from how fast he was nodding. 

“Yes! Absolutely. Thank you so much. I...Thank you!” His grin was 1000 watts, and he’s pretty sure the flush on his face was excitement, not embarrassment. When students began filing into the classroom, he had a large packet of information safely tucked away in his bag, and a small smile etched on his face for the rest of the day.

* * *

Rich felt like he was buzzing. The bus ride home from school usually stressed him out, what with the loud yelling and the constant threat of being mocked. When he stepped off the bus, his jaw would be aching from how hard he was clenching it. However, today it felt like he was in another realm. He felt like he had achieved something, and he kept telling himself that he should feel that, because he had. The news of what he had done was fluttering around inside his chest, wanting to get out but...that was his problem. 

He had no one to tell that would care.

Well, that’s not true. He had one person. However, he couldn’t talk to that person for another week, and he was sure the news was going to kill him if he didn’t get it out soon. 

_‘Plan B? Plan B.’_ He thought to himself, kicking his legs to try to dispel some of the energy in him. Even the realization that the only person to tell his news to was halfway across the world couldn’t completely ruin his mood, and if he wasn’t sure that he would be mocked for the rest of eternity, he would bounce in his seat. 

“Heeyyy Dicky.” A voice crooned over the seat behind him. His shoulders tensed and he gritted his teeth together at the familiar tone, making him look like a rabbit on high alert. “Come on Dicky, say hello.” A second voice called, grabbing his hair and pulling back to stop him from folding in on himself like he was trying to. 

“L-leave me alone.” He mumbled, barely audible over the dull roar of the high schoolers on the bus. He tried to pull his head away from the painful tugging, but the grip on his floppy hair just tightened. 

“Aren’t you happy to see us, Dicky? It’s been almost a week since we’ve talked. How have you been? Still too stupid to stay on your own two feet?” The first voice mocked, reaching over the seat to flick him on the temple. 

“Nah dude, its not that he’s stupid. His deadbeat dad hits him so hard he falls over.” The second voice, the one with the grip on his hair, laughed and gave his hair a sharp tug before letting go. 

“Shut u-up. You don’t know anything.” Rich could barely bring his voice above a mumble as he grabbed his backpack from the floor and scooted to the edge of the seat, looking towards the front for an empty one. Anything to get away from those two. The bullies continued mocking him as he stood up and quickly walked forward, attempting to get a seat closer to a place where people would be too scared of the bus driver to bully him. However, in his rush he didn’t hold onto anything but his backpack, so when the bus hit a sharp turn, he was knocked off his balance and into a seat. An occupied seat. 

He found himself splayed on the lap of another student, and he blushed harder than he had all day. Not just any student, Jake Dillinger. Another freshman, but he didn’t seem like it. He was tall enough to be a senior, and sometimes was mistaken for one since he would hang around the older kids on the various teams he played on. He was on another planet from Rich as far as social standings go. And, well. One more thing that caused the fact that Rich fell onto his lap to be even more mortifying. 

Rich had a huge crush on him. 

He laid there for about five seconds just gaping at the other student before scrambling up, rushing out apologies as he almost sprinted to the front of the bus. He burrowed down in the seat there, his backpack on his lap acting as a shield between him and the rest of the world. He felt like tearing up for a moment, but then remembered the packet in his bag. He closed his eyes and breathed, thinking everything though.

All in all, a not too heinous day.

* * *

The house was empty, when he got there. As always, he scanned the home for his father before allowing himself to relax in his room, not worrying too much about what his deadbeat dad was doing. 

_‘Probably drinking. Maybe working.’_ He thought as he leaned back on his bed, finally feeling safe for the first time since he left for school. Most of the bulbs in his room were dead, but he didn’t mind the dim light. It relaxed him more than anything. After an hour of quietly decompressing from the day, he leaned over the side of his bed to retrieve his most valued possession. 

It was a small teddy bear, with a red silk bow around it’s neck. It was a standard bear other than that, soft and brown and with a stitched on smile. Rich gave it a tight hug, trying to pour all the day’s awful feelings into the little bear to be destroyed. It was...something he would never tell anyone that he did. He would never hear the end of it if anyone at school found out that, after hard days, he would go home and hug a teddy bear until he felt better. He was already at bedrock in the social standing, but that would send him to the Earth’s core.  
His bear wasn’t just for dispelling bad energy, though. He was also for telling things. Things like how he’s on the quiz bowl team now, or about bullies or falling into cute boys laps. Things he would normally tell his brother, if he brother were around. 

He understood why Blake left. He had been telling Rich about his plan to join the army after graduation since...well, since mom left. It didn’t make it any easier when he had to hug his big brother goodbye and not see or hear from the only person that cared about him for months. He hadn’t seen his brother in person since that day, and after a...pretty bad day and call to his brother, he received the bear. The bear and a short letter, explaining that while Blake was gone, the teddy bear was going to be a stand in big brother. It had helped, having something to talk to. So, sitting cross legged on his bed with the bear sitting where he brother used to when they would talk, he looked at the smiling face and began to recap the day.

He glossed over the bullying and tripping, that was a daily thing. Not worth bringing up. He didn’t want to spoil the high point of the day, and the emotionally confusing point of the day. He probably spent a good hour talking about the quiz bowl conversation, and pulling out the packet to read through every word. Then, he went on to...the Jake thing. 

The Jake Incident, he was calling it in his head and to his teddy. Just thinking about it made his cheeks go red. 

“Okay. so.” He started, rocking back and forth with his hands in his lap. “You know...Jake. The tall one who plays like, _everything?_ ” He paused, leaving room for the teddy to respond even though he was fully aware there wouldn’t be any sort of feedback. “I fell on his lap today. Like, full on straight to TV Disney movie fall on the bus. It was mortifying. But also the closest I’ve ever been and probably will ever be to him. So I guess...points on both sides? And that wasn’t a bi joke. But it could be.” He chuckled to himself, twiddling his thumbs. “I hope he doesn’t beat me up on Monday. It was an accident, it was just because the bus turned. And I didn’t show that I liked falling on him or anything, you’re the only one that knows.” 

Rich grabbed the teddy and flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling and sighing. The teddy was held close to his chest. 

“Just three more years. Just...have to make it for three more years.” 

* * *

Rich wasn’t sure if he could make it three more years. 

Even with the promise of quiz bowl after winter break. Even with going to Ms. Winters every day. Even with her gentle voice and soothing advice. Even with her giving him ice packs for his bruises that he refused to admit the origins of. Even with the constant presence of his teddy. Three years of his current life seemed like an endless eternity of darkness.

With all of these thoughts swirling around in his head, it was hard to force a smile while the call connected. The instant he saw his brother’s pixelated form appear on his screen though, the heaviness on his chest lightened and the darkness swirling around his head brightened.

“Blake!” He exclaimed, waving and bouncing. He settled down only because he was about to knock his headphones off, and that would mean he couldn’t hear the comforting sound of his brother’s laugh, or his friendly greeting. 

“Hey there bud.” Blake said, waving back at him. “You look tired, is it finals season already?” Rich could almost feel the arm Blake flings over his shoulder whenever they’re around each other and talking, a comforting presence that even teddy can’t give him. 

“Nah, not yet. Just not sleeping very well.” He shrugged, trying to ignore the worried look that flashed across his big brother’s face. Quickly jumping to another topic. “Look at your hair! What happened? You look like a goofus.” 

Blake laughed, running a hand over the shorter side of his now lopsided haircut. 

“Ah, well. Caught a little bit on fire. And I haven’t gotten a chance to even it up.” Blake had typical military required short hair, however he always pushed the limit of how long he could have it. Back in high school, he was well known for his ‘mane’ of hair. Now though, one side was almost completely shaved down and patchy, while the other remained normal. 

“You look like a carpet cleaning commercial.” Rich teased, the first genuine laugh he had felt in at least a month leaving him. It felt nice to laugh. He forgot about how nice it felt to laugh. 

“I didn’t raise you to be this rude.” Blake pouted, though it wasn’t very convincing when he had a grin on his face. “Shame on you.” He said with a finger pointed at the computer’s camera. The stern parent voice he was going for didn’t take him very far, and for a solid minute the two of them laughed at nothing together.

From there their conversation was the usual that they went over. Rich talking about school stuff, and anything else he found relevant. Blake would listen and comment, then talk about things he would think interest Rich. 

He decided to save the quiz bowl announcement for last though, and he wasn’t disappointed by his brother’s reaction. 

“HOLY SHIT BRO!” Blake hollered, throwing his arms up over his head and wearing a proud smile. “My little brother is a fuckin’ genius!” He leaned back in his chair and yelled off screen. “HEY! MY LITTLE BROTHER IS A GENIUS!” 

It was all of 10 seconds before some of Blake’s platoon mates had joined him around the computer, all affectionately calling Rich ‘little brother’. It was an avalanche of praise that he preened under, feeling like it was enough to last him until the next call. Rich tried not to dwell on the fact that the only people in the world he could say care about him are his high school math teacher, his brother, and a group of people he’s never met across the ocean.

A couple of the soldiers stuck around for a few minutes after the commotion had died down, but at the end of the call it was just him and Blake again. 

There had been a quiet for a minute while they both tried to hold out on saying goodbye, but a look at the clock had Blake breaking the silence. 

“I’ve gotta go now, Richy.” He said, his shoulders sagging. He did a better job than Rich at masking his disappointment with a smile. “Hey, same time, same place next month?” 

“Promise?” Rich asked, as he always did. 

“Promise, little bro.” A beat of quiet. “I love you, Richy.” 

“I love you too Blakey. Be safe, I’ll see you next month.” 

* * *

The thing that Rich discovered about his life, is that small bursts of happiness were followed by very long, very bad streaks of sadness. It had been a bad two weeks, and this last day of the week was the worst. He had scraped up his hands bad enough to bleed, invoked the wrath of a group of bullies by trying to stand up for himself, missed the bus and had to walk in the rain, and on top of that, his old shoes decided to give out on him. He had already repaired them about five times over the past few months, but after an inspection at home, he decided that super glue wasn’t going to fix them this time. The faithful pair of shoes had done all they could, but he couldn’t send them onto their eternal reward into the garbage yet. 

After browsing the map of bus routes he kept on his desk, he charted his course to Payless. Then, from the small locked box he keeps wedged under the dresser in his room, he took out enough of his saved up money for a new pair of shoes and his bus to and from the store. The air was horribly humid after the storm earlier, but it was better than getting soaked again. Puddles of water still found their way into his broken shoes though, making the walk and trip on the cool bus uncomfortable. An hour later, however, he was looking through the sneakers for something reliable enough to last him another three years of daily use. 

He...probably shouldn’t have been as excited as he was to find a simple, sturdy pair of sneakers for 35% off. But hey, a deal is a deal and he grabbed the box before hurrying to the front. 

He could feel the phantom ruffling from his brother’s hand, and the affectionate teasing he would be getting right now if he wasn’t alone. _‘You’re like a middle aged mother at Dillard's’_ Rich heard his brother’s voice in his head.

There were only a few workers in the store, and the only line that was open was the one in the far back, with the broken lights overhead casting it in a shadow. Ignoring the anxiety of interacting with a stranger, he kept the box of shoes clutched to his chest until he made it to the counter, setting them down and offering the, frankly terrifying, cashier a small smile. 

The man was silent and stone faced as he scanned the box and looked at Rich expectantly for the money, but then something in his expression changed. 

“Hey kid, you look like the nerdy type.” The man said frankly, taking the neatly folded bills from Rich and putting them in the cash register. 

“I...um...yes…?” Rich responded, not completely sure how to take the...observation? He is the nerdy type, but usually strangers didn’t comment on that. 

“I have a little...something. That could help you. Real exclusive stuff. And since you’re a nice kid, I’ll give it to you for...hm. Three hundred bucks. Usually I’d be charging a thousand, but you look like you need it.” The man slid the box of shoes across the table while he talked, offering the receipt as well.

“I...um….like….are you...drugs?” Rich stammered out, his face as red as a fire truck. He took the chance of signing the receipt to look away and try to get himself under control.

“Better than that. It’s some shit from Japan, crazy computers and crap.” The man gave a conspiratorial grin. “Tell you what. You come back by Monday with the cash, and I’ll give it to you for 250. Pretty much a steal, you’re not gonna get better than that.” 

Rich wasn’t sure how to respond. A new computer for 250? That could be nice, his old laptop wasn’t doing too hot. And he had about 1500 in savings under his dresser. He couldn’t think of how to end this probably illegal interaction other than a nod and a quiet agreement that he would be back Sunday for it.

* * *

The pill ended up staying in the little baggy he got it in for a month. He felt like everyone was staring at him the whole way home, like they knew he had something he shouldn’t. In hindsight, it was probably more out of concern for the tiny jumpy kid riding alone on the bus. 

He thought about it every day. Not obsessively, but during breaks between classes his mind would wander to the little pill hidden in his bedroom. A nano-computer, is what the man from Payless told him. That little bag held a little pill that had a supercomputer from Japan that was going to teach him how to be cool. Whenever he thought it through, he could only chastise himself for blowing 250 dollars on what’s probably some aspirin.

In all honesty, he was thinking about just throwing it out. A waste of money, and a waste of brain cells. He was spending more time stressing about if the pill was going to teach him how to not be a loser than his school work, or plotting his course to avoid bullies. Which, is how he got himself into exactly such a situation.

Rich was pinned against the wall in an abandoned hallway, the corner of the wall digging painfully into his back. He was being held up by his shirt by what could only be described as a six foot three wall of muscle, with an equally tall but more gangly accomplice behind him.

_‘How did a kid in 9th grade even get that big?’_ Rich thought, squirming as much as he was allowed before being pressed into the wall harder.

“So, Dicky.” Gangly started, looming behind his friend. “You know it’s not good to be late to class. What if you tripped and hit your head? No one would even find you for an hour, at least.” 

“Not like anyone would care even if they did.” Muscles chimed in, the grin on his face giving away that he thought he just came up with the burn of the century. Rich wanted to open his mouth and tell them that there’s not much they could tell him that depression and anxiety already don’t on the daily, but the best way to get through this is to let them have their fun and leave him be on their own. A jab to his ribs by Gangly thwarted that plan. 

“It’s rude to not respond when people talk to you. You might be totally socially inept, but you have to at least know that.” 

“I...Just leave me alone. Mrs. Dobs will notice if I’m not in her class. We have a partner project to work on.” Rich mumbled, not meeting Gangly’s eyes.

“Leave me alone.” Gangly mocked in a high pitched, lisping tone. Not one that matched Rich’s at all, more of a...well. A familiar mocking from a high school boy. “Maybe you’ll understand me better if I talk like you, faggot.” Gangly continued in the tone.

The weak mocking wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before. But it still didn’t feel good, especially after a streak of bad days that had only gotten worse since the Payless incident. Muscles acted like he was hearing a comedy show, however, hooting and hollering as his voice echoed down the quiet and empty hall.

Rich closed his eyes, not looking at either of his assailants as they continued to fire weak insults at him. It might not have been new material, but it hurt. Not as much as the corner of the wall digging into his spine and the back of his head did, though. Muscles kept pressing him harder and harder against it, and he was sure it was going to leave a pretty nasty bruise.

He began to think he was going to have to put up with this torment forever, that he had died and not realized he went to the first circle of hell, when a voice yelled out from down the hallway. 

“Hey! Put him down you fuckin’ goon.” 

Rich opened his eyes and saw, jogging down the hallway, Jake Dillinger. And he didn’t look all too pleased about what their classmates were doing. When Muscles and Gangly saw him coming, Rich was dropped onto the ground with a loud thud.

“Oh! Jake, hey man. We were just messing around.” Gangly said, Muscles nodding along.

“Yeah man, just joking with our friend here.” Muscles looked back and down at Rich on the floor, with a look that communicated ‘agree or you’re dead’ pretty clearly. With a huff of breath, he pushed himself up off the floor and picked up his backpack from where it had fallen off his shoulders. 

“No, we weren’t. Fuck off.” He put his backpack back on and walked away from the hallway as quickly as he could, hoping to just get to his bio class without another incident.

He didn’t even think to be giddy over the fact that Jake saved him from bullies until he got home.

* * *

It still didn’t seem like it was worth 250 dollars. He even thought that when he was handing over the cash. It mostly looked like a sleeping pill or something. If he wasn’t so scared of backing out of the deal, he would’ve said no the instant he realized he wasn’t getting a new computer. The thought that no one would notice or care that he was killed in an alley behind a Payless for at least a month was mostly what stopped him. That and the fact his deadbeat dad wouldn’t think to tell his brother that he was dead, and Blake wouldn’t know why he didn’t answer calls anymore until he finally got home and then would have to learn that his little brother was killed in a weird not-a-drug-deal.

The grey pill laid in his palm, looking too small to do what the Payless guy claimed. The bottle of Mountain Dew was cold where he was holding it between his thighs, reminding him of how dumb he was being. What kind of supercomputer needs _Mountain Dew_ of all things in order to work. He poked at the pill and laughed at his own stupidity for a moment. His teddy was sitting on his pillows, watching silently.

“Look, I’m just as disappointed in me as you are. But what’s the worst this can do? Kill me? No one but Blake would miss me, and he’d get over it. God, I...it’s worth the risk.” He put the pill down on the nightstand and opened the bottle of soda, drinking a sip to calm his nerves. The feeling the cool liquid going down his throat grounded him slightly. “Not like I would make it to the end of high school without a magic computer telling me how to be a normal person.” He mumbled to teddy, kicking one of his legs. 

Teddy was silent, as always. It still felt like he was being judged. 

A few more sips of the soda, and quietly thinking about how no one at school would even notice him gone if this was some elaborate way to poison a kid. Not even for the normal reasons of 'I'm a total loser', either. Winter break had started that day, which meant a long stretch of time by himself at home. It mostly meant a lot of packets of questions Ms. Winters had given him to work through and bring back to her at the end of break. He snapped away from the tempting, wandering path of thought with a start. A glance to his clock told him that he was running short on time until his dad got home, and he made up his mind.

Before he could think anymore about what he was doing, he grabbed the pill and threw it into his mouth before taking a huge gulp of soda, swallowing it and waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

He...wasn’t sure what he expected. It was minty, cutting through the strong taste of soda. The Mountain Dew and mint combination wasn’t exactly pleasant, and his wrinkled up his nose. He couldn’t feel anything other than that, and he felt like maybe he should just go throw the pill up. Just in case, he sat on his bed for another ten minutes, until the minty taste was gone and he was sure he had just blown 250 dollars on a sugar pill. 

Sighing, Rich pushed himself up from the bed and walked over to his desk, ready to sit down and work through the extra math practice Ms. Winters had been giving him when he felt his legs lock up. Then the pain ripped through him.

Rich had been electrocuted before. On a small scale, from plugging something in when he was twelve. It still hurt, and he sniffled for ten minutes while his brother assured him he was okay. This was like that, times a million in his brain. The shocks traveled from his head to his toes, making him fall down and yell. 

His legs were kicking and his whole body was spamming, all the while he was screaming his lungs out. He was sure he was going to die, that he was going to be shocked to death or whatever was going on. Hell, he would take death over the pain he was feeling. 

He was sure he was going to die from this pain, and his shit dad wouldn’t even find him for a week, at least. When his body started to smell worse than the cigar smoke and booze already does. 

Right when he felt himself blacking out though, it stopped. 

Rich laid on his side with wide eyes and labored breathing, his body wracked with shaking. It felt like years before he could grab onto the blankets on the bed to pull himself up onto his knees, gently touching his nose and staring when they came back smeared with blood. He was thinking he should call 911 when he heard a voice coming from...not in front, and not behind. Everywhere, like surround sound. 

“Richard Goranski.” A hooded figure appeared in front of him, sort of reminding him of what people always depict the grim reaper as, which was sort of fitting seeing as he was pretty sure he just died. “Welcome to your Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor. Your SQUIP. Let’s get to work.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the first part of a new series I'm going to be writing, following Rich and his time with the SQUIP, and after. It's the first time I've posted something I've written on here, so I might be a little rusty. I'm adding in a few of my personal headcannons, so if you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask!


End file.
